Creatives are constantly at war with themselves, at least, many of the creatives I know are. In the c reactive life there is a constant juxtaposition between challenging ourselves to develop and grow and produce and the search for fulfilment and joy we crave in our practice.
I think, when we start out on our creative journey, it is because of both of these ideas. We set out because an activity has sparked joy and delight in our lives, it feeds something in our soul. But the start is always the most challenging part because we have no idea what we are doing, we are movies, we are new and everything, as exciting as it is, is also on a steep learning curve. In creativity there is no place for complacency. In creativity there is a place for joy even in despair.
To me, creativity itself is a balance of challenge and joy through its very nature. It should be a learning endeavour, always a journey to learn more, learn new, learn better, learn different, Inherently there is joy in learning a new skill and there is challenge in pursuing mastery. This may be a shorter blog post than usual.
This balancing act isn’t really about balancing at all. It is about appreciating and honouring the intrinsic value and spirit of the creative process. Through challenges we achieve joy, and in the joy of creating there is inherent challenge. Creativity is about learning - about skill, practice, process, yourself, your craft, your path. Without being overwhelmingly scary it asks us to examine truths about ourselves and our environment and grants us a safe space for us to explore those ideas and test the boundaries.
It may not always be equal, but in the end both challenge and joy are present in our creativity, always. If you are always looking to create, to explore, to grow you will never lack either piece. Learning is the focus of creativity. Be open to what it has to teach you and always be aware that you have more to learn. That does not mean you should pursue perfection. It means you need to be open to the journey of progress and seasons that surround you. Creativity is the way we make sense of life. Celebrate that, meet it and reach farther than you ever thought you could.
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